Friday, June 29, 2012

Incidentally, that’s not the only time an early congress mandated that Americans purchase privately sold products:

In 1790, the very first Congress—which incidentally
included 20 framers—passed a law that included a mandate: namely, a
requirement that ship owners buy medical insurance for their seamen.
This law was then signed by another framer: President George Washington.
That’s right, the father of our country had no difficulty imposing a
health insurance mandate

Steve Benen: I suppose Republicans might argue that George Washington, John Adams,
and Thomas Jefferson didn't understand what the Founding Fathers wanted

Thursday, June 28, 2012

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the
Affordable Care Act -- the name of the health care reform we passed two
years ago. In doing so, they've reaffirmed a fundamental
principle that here in America -- in the wealthiest nation on Earth –
no illness or accident should lead to any family’s financial ruin.

I know there
will be a lot of discussion today about the politics of all this, about
who won and who lost. That’s how these things tend to be viewed here
in Washington. But that discussion completely misses the
point. Whatever the politics, today’s decision was a victory for
people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of
this law and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold it.

And because
this law has a direct impact on so many Americans, I want to take this
opportunity to talk about exactly what it means for you.

First, if you’re one of the more than 250 million Americans who already have health insurance,
you will keep your health insurance -- this law will only make it more
secure and more affordable. Insurance companies
can no longer impose lifetime limits on the amount of care you
receive. They can no longer discriminate against children with
preexisting conditions. They can no longer drop your coverage if you
get sick. They can no longer jack up your premiums without
reason. They are required to provide free preventive care like
check-ups and mammograms -- a provision that's already helped 54 million
Americans with private insurance. And by this August, nearly 13
million of you will receive a rebate from your insurance
company because it spent too much on things like administrative costs
and CEO bonuses, and not enough on your health care.

There’s
more. Because of the Affordable Care Act, young adults under the age of
26 are able to stay on their parent's health care plans -- a provision
that's already helped 6 million young Americans. And because
of the Affordable Care Act, seniors receive a discount on their
prescription drugs -- a discount that's already saved more than 5
million seniors on Medicare about $600 each.

All of this
is happening because of the Affordable Care Act. These provisions
provide common-sense protections for middle class families, and they
enjoy broad popular support. And thanks to today’s decision, all
of these benefits and protections will continue for Americans who
already have health insurance.

Now, if
you’re one of the 30 million Americans who don’t yet have health
insurance, starting in 2014 this law will offer you an array of quality,
affordable, private health insurance plans to choose from. Each
state will take the lead in designing their own menu of options, and if
states can come up with even better ways of covering more people at the
same quality and cost, this law allows them to do that, too. And I’ve
asked Congress to help speed up that process,
and give states this flexibility in year one.

Once states
set up these health insurance marketplaces, known as exchanges,
insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate against any
American with a preexisting health condition. They won’t be able
to charge you more just because you’re a woman. They won’t be able to
bill you into bankruptcy. If you’re sick, you’ll finally have the same
chance to get quality, affordable health care as everyone else. And if
you can’t afford the premiums, you'll receive
a credit that helps pay for it.

Today, the
Supreme Court also upheld the principle that people who can afford
health insurance should take the responsibility to buy health
insurance. This is important for two reasons.

First, when
uninsured people who can afford coverage get sick, and show up at the
emergency room for care, the rest of us end up paying for their care in
the form of higher premiums.

And second,
if you ask insurance companies to cover people with preexisting
conditions, but don’t require people who can afford it to buy their own
insurance, some folks might wait until they’re sick to buy the
care they need -- which would also drive up everybody else’s premiums.

That’s why,
even though I knew it wouldn’t be politically popular, and resisted the
idea when I ran for this office, we ultimately included a provision in
the Affordable Care Act that people who can afford to buy
health insurance should take the responsibility to do so. In fact,
this idea has enjoyed support from members of both parties, including
the current Republican nominee for President.

Still, I
know the debate over this law has been divisive. I respect the very
real concerns that millions of Americans have shared. And I know a lot
of coverage through this health care debate has focused on what
it means politically.

Well, it
should be pretty clear by now that I didn’t do this because it was good
politics. I did it because I believed it was good for the country. I
did it because I believed it was good for the American people.

There’s a
framed letter that hangs in my office right now. It was sent to me
during the health care debate by a woman named Natoma Canfield. For
years and years, Natoma did everything right. She bought health
insurance. She paid her premiums on time. But 18 years ago, Natoma
was diagnosed with cancer. And even though she’d been cancer-free for
more than a decade, her insurance company kept jacking up her rates,
year after year. And despite her desire to keep
her coverage -- despite her fears that she would get sick again -- she
had to surrender her health insurance, and was forced to hang her
fortunes on chance.

I carried
Natoma’s story with me every day of the fight to pass this law. It
reminded me of all the Americans, all across the country, who have had
to worry not only about getting sick, but about the cost of getting
well.

Natoma is
well today. And because of this law, there are other Americans -- other
sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers -- who
will not have to hang their fortunes on chance. These are
the Americans for whom we passed this law.

The highest
Court in the land has now spoken. We will continue to implement this
law. And we'll work together to improve on it where we can. But what
we won’t do -- what the country can’t afford to do -- is refight
the political battles of two years ago, or go back to the way things
were.

With
today’s announcement, it’s time for us to move forward -- to implement
and, where necessary, improve on this law. And now is the time to keep
our focus on the most urgent challenge of our time: putting people
back to work, paying down our debt, and building an economy where
people can have confidence that if they work hard, they can get ahead.

But today,
I’m as confident as ever that when we look back five years from now, or
10 years from now, or 20 years from now, we’ll be better off because we
had the courage to pass this law and keep moving forward.

In
regards to national security, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans
think Barack Obama would be better suited than fellow presidential
candidate Mitt Romney to handle an alien invasion. In fact, more than
two in three (68%) women say that Obama would be more adept at dealing
with an alien invasion than Romney, vs. 61 percent of men. And more
younger citizens, ages 18 to 64 years, than those aged 65+ (68% vs. 50%)
think Romney would not be as well-suited as Obama to handle an alien
invasion.

Daily Caller:Most
Americans don’t see aliens as the blood-thirsty beasts portrayed in
films like Alien, but imagine them to be more like the Reese’s-loving
E.T.

More than seven in 10 Americans think that aliens are more likely to
exist than zombies, superheroes and vampires. If an alien invasion does
happen, poll respondents said the Hulk should be called in to save the
planet, beating out Batman and Spiderman.

But what would the average citizen do if an alien passed them on the
street? Twenty-two percent would try to be the alien’s friend, 15
percent would run away, 13 percent would lock their doors and two
percent would try to harm the extraterrestrial. (NRA Members).

n regards to national security, nearly two-thirds (65%) of
Americans think Barack Obama would be better suited
than fellow presidential candidate Mitt Romney to
handle an alien invasion. In fact, more than two in three (68%) women say that
Obama would be more adept at dealing with an alien invasion than Romney, vs. 61
percent of men. And more younger citizens, ages 18 to 64 years, than those aged
65+ (68% vs. 50%) think Romney would not be as well-suited as Obama to handle an
alien invasion.

In regards to national security, nearly two-thirds (65%) of
Americans think Barack Obama would be better suited
than fellow presidential candidate Mitt Romney to
handle an alien invasion. In fact, more than two in three (68%) women say that
Obama would be more adept at dealing with an alien invasion than Romney, vs. 61
percent of men. And more younger citizens, ages 18 to 64 years, than those aged
65+ (68% vs. 50%) think Romney would not be as well-suited as Obama to handle an
alien invasion.

- In regards to national security, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans think
Barack Obama would be better suited than fellow
presidential candidate Mitt Romney to handle an
alien invasion. In fact, more than two in three (68%) women say that Obama would
be more adept at dealing with an alien invasion than Romney, vs. 61 percent of
men. And more younger citizens, ages 18 to 64 years, than those aged 65+ (68%
vs. 50%) think Romney would not be as well-suited as Obama to handle an alien
invasion.

- In regards to national security, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans think
Barack Obama would be better suited than fellow
presidential candidate Mitt Romney to handle an
alien invasion. In fact, more than two in three (68%) women say that Obama would
be more adept at dealing with an alien invasion than Romney, vs. 61 percent of
men. And more younger citizens, ages 18 to 64 years, than those aged 65+ (68%
vs. 50%) think Romney would not be as well-suited as Obama to handle an alien
invasion.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Speaking to the PA Republican state committee House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) said "Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it’s done. First pro-life
legislation – abortion facility regulations – in 22 years, done. Voter
ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of
Pennsylvania, done.”The statement drew a loud round of applause from the audience.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Kingston, Pa. --Aaron Kaufer
will present his economic plan, PA FIRST, at the American Legion in Kingston on
Tuesday. In these tough economic times, it isn’t enough to simply offer the
promise of economic solutions tomorrow for the real problems of today. Aaron has
developed a plan to stimulate job growth within our state by establishing
targeted tax credits aimed at reforming our state’s taxes, streamlining state
government, and eliminating the state deficit all while protecting the most
vital services in our commonwealth.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Dingman, PA - Businessman Phil Scollo has made bipartisan reform,
pragmatic common-sense and job creation early centerpieces of his campaign to
represent the people of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania. Below is a statement
from Scollo -- once again reaching across the aisle -- building on Congressman
David McKinley's (R-WV) recent statements regarding the Ryan/Marino budget's
impact on Medicare and seniors.

"Pennsylvania seniors deserve better.
They worked hard all their lives and honoring our promises to our seniors is
not, or at least should not be a partisan political issue it should be a
national point of pride and unity.

Opposition to the Ryan/Marino budget is
something many Republicans, Independents and Democrats agree on. As Republican
U.S. Rep. McKinley said, this budget would privatize Medicare for
future retirees thus ending the Medicare guarantee and doubling
out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Pennsylvania's seniors, working families and
future retirees cannot afford this enormous mistake and they don't deserve this
serious slap in the face. My opponent, Congressman Tom Marino, voted for this
budget twice, once for each year he has been in office. He owns its
disgrace."

In part, Rep. McKinley's
mailers said, "Congressman McKinley recently voted against the 2012 budget
passed by the House because of the plan’s negative impact on northern West
Virginia seniors. The plan would privatize Medicare for future retirees, raise
the retirement age and keep in place the Medicare cuts included in last year’s
healthcare bill. The Congressional Budget Office determined the plan would
nearly double out-of-pocket healthcare costs for future retirees."

NEPA BlogCon 2012 is excited to announce its website launch and will be hosting a launch party on Friday, June 22, 2012 from 5 to 7:00 p.m. at the River Grille in Plains. This marks the first of many events leading up to Northeastern Pennsylvania's first blogging conference.

The Launch Party will include free appetizers, door prizes, giveaways, and a chance to network with NEPA BlogCon organizers and attendees. It’s a free event, but attendees can make a suggested $5 donation.

NEPA BlogCon is a daylong conference and networking event to be held at Luzerne County Community College on September 29, 2012. It's designed to bring together bloggers of all experience levels, as well as those interested in marketing, social media, and communicating through the internet. All proceeds will benefit The Arc of Luzerne County & the NEPA Veterans Multicare Alliance.

NEPA BlogCon 2012 is excited to announce its website launch and will be

The Fearsome Foursome Leslie , Michelle , Karla and Mandy are doing a great job of a slow roll out with a radio appearance and a nice article in the Weekender with more to come.

This part of the Weekender piece I found interesting.

BlogCon is not to be confused with Blog Fest, which is a twice-yearly gathering of local bloggers that will be held again in September.

“I don’t think that BlogCon and Blog Fest really compete with each other, because they are two completely different events,” explained Hryvnak-Davies. “Blog Fest has always been a more political event in nature and informal networking with bloggers and politicians

. I am putting together a Hit the Deck event in July for us political types ( looking for a venue in the 11th CD) that everyone is welcome just like Blogfest.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, PA-11, will hold a telephone town hall
meeting to discuss issues important to senior citizens between 10:45 a.m. and
11:45 a.m. Wednesday, June 20.

Anyone who is interested in
participating in the call can by dialing (877) 229-8493, then enter the code
19175.

This is the third telephone town hall
meeting Rep. Barletta will have held since he took office in January 2011.

I'm not sure when Barletta had an actual in person town hall meeting which is rich because he blasted Paul Kanjorski in 2010for not having them. Kanjo famously explained

“We will do
everything we can to meet with people, but I’m not going to set myself up for,
you know, nuts to hit me with a camera.”

This is billed as a seniors issues event but I will bet that the President's recent decision to stop deporting people that were brought to the US as children might come up.Maybe a few people will call in objecting to having their grandchildren forceably removed from the only country they have ever known.

I'll give some props to Barletta for sticking to his guns on his signature issue.

Romney won’t say whether he would undo Obama’s decision to end deportations of
DREAM-eligible immigrants. Romney and his campaign passed up numerous
opportunities over the weekend to say whether he agreed with the substance
of the Obama administration’s order to stop deporting some young undocumented
immigrants and whether a President Romney would rescind the order, saying
only, “We’ll look at that — we’ll look at that setting as we– as we reach
that.”

McConnell said he would wait — until presumptive GOP presidential nominee
Mitt Romney had taken a position first.

“I think we’re going to wait and see what governor Romney has to say, and
we’re going to be discussing his views on this,” McConnell told reporters at the
Capitol Tuesday. “I think many of us may have similar views. Others may
not.”

McConnell said he was deferring to Romney because the former Massachusetts
governor is “the leader of our party from now until November — and, we hope,
beyond.”

But McConnell’s reticence also reflects broader confusion and division within
the GOP over how to react to Obama’s move

Monday, June 18, 2012

I'm trying to update the blogroll but hitting all kinds of hiccups. Part of the problem is that I need new hardware.All the links I open in IE8 are a mess and it keeps crashing the computer. However Firefox is working well. Go figure.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

After getting liquored up at a bar Brian Gashi, 39, of Harding and a friend (who he wouldn't rat out) went looking for a place to rob. They broke into the Plains Little League clubhouse and got away with deep fryer, food, candy, beverages, money, an electronic score board controller and the public address system To top it it off he set fire to place. Those actions make him a scumbag but he rises to level of idiot criminal because he left his cell phone behind.. The cops called a few people on his saved list who told him who he was then arrested him and he confessed to the crime. My favorite Judge let him go earlier, David Lupas vacated an arrest warrant for Gashi on March 7th. I'm not sure who the bigger idiot is.

I always try to find a video to go along with Idiot Watch (YouTube Weekend) and got 3 suggestions.

Michelle suggested Lady Gaga. I always look for an excuse to post a Gaga video but this really fits with all the prison imagery.

I get a constant busy signalWhen I call you on the phoneI get a strong uneasy feelingYou're not sitting there aloneI'm having nasty, nasty visionsAnd baby you're in every one, yeahAnd I'm so afraid I'm gonna find you withA so called smoking gunMrs. G

Friday, June 15, 2012

The DREAM Act is a common sense proposal to give kids that were brought into the United States by their illegal immigrant parents a path to legal statusby going to college or serving in the military.Before the the Republican Party went all Tea Party Nutso it was supported by many GOP lawmakers including Senators Orin Hatch, John McCain and Richard Lugar.

The usual suspects are howling including some jerk that heckled the President when he was speaking in the Rose Garden. He will probably become a hero to the right wing bloggers and Fox News like the asshole who yelled "you lie" during the State of the Union a few years ago. Imagine if that had happened to the last occupant of the White House.

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

ON IMMIGRATION

Rose Garden

2:09 P.M. EDT

THE
PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. This morning, Secretary
Napolitano announced new actions my administration will take to mend our
nation’s immigration
policy, to make it more fair, more efficient, and more just --
specifically for certain young people sometimes called “Dreamers.”

These
are young people who study in our schools, they play in our
neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to
our flag. They
are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but
one: on paper. They were brought to this country by their parents --
sometimes even as infants -- and often have no idea that they’re
undocumented until they apply for a job or a driver’s
license, or a college scholarship.

Put
yourself in their shoes. Imagine you’ve done everything right your
entire life -- studied hard, worked hard, maybe even graduated at the
top of your
class -- only to suddenly face the threat of deportation to a country
that you know nothing about, with a language that you may not even
speak.

That’s
what gave rise to the DREAM Act. It says that if your parents brought
you here as a child, if you’ve been here for five years, and you’re
willing
to go to college or serve in our military, you can one day earn your
citizenship. And I have said time and time and time again to Congress
that, send me the DREAM Act, put it on my desk, and I will sign it right
away.

Now,
both parties wrote this legislation. And a year and a half ago,
Democrats passed the DREAM Act in the House, but Republicans walked away
from it. It
got 55 votes in the Senate, but Republicans blocked it. The bill
hasn’t really changed. The need hasn’t changed. It’s still the right
thing to do. The only thing that has changed, apparently, was the
politics.

As
I said in my speech on the economy yesterday, it makes no sense to
expel talented young people, who, for all intents and purposes, are
Americans -- they’ve
been raised as Americans; understand themselves to be part of this
country -- to expel these young people who want to staff our labs, or
start new businesses, or defend our country simply because of the
actions of their parents -- or because of the inaction
of politicians.

In
the absence of any immigration action from Congress to fix our broken
immigration system, what we’ve tried to do is focus our immigration
enforcement resources
in the right places. So we prioritized border security, putting more
boots on the southern border than at any time in our history -- today,
there are fewer illegal crossings than at any time in the past 40
years. We focused and used discretion about whom
to prosecute, focusing on criminals who endanger our communities rather
than students who are earning their education. And today, deportation
of criminals is up 80 percent. We've improved on that discretion
carefully and thoughtfully. Well, today, we're
improving it again.

Effective
immediately, the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps to
lift the shadow of deportation from these young people.
Over the next few months, eligible individuals who do not present a
risk to national security or public safety will be able to request
temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work
authorization.

Now,
let's be clear -- this is not amnesty, this is not immunity. This is
not a path to citizenship. It's not a permanent fix. This
is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely
while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic
young people. It is --

Q (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: -- the right thing to do.

Q -- foreigners over American workers.

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me, sir. It's not time for questions, sir.

Q No, you have to take questions.

THE PRESIDENT: Not while I'm speaking.

Precisely
because this is temporary, Congress needs to act. There is still time
for Congress to pass the DREAM Act this year, because
these kids deserve to plan their lives in more than two-year
increments. And we still need to pass comprehensive immigration reform
that addresses our 21st century economic and security needs -- reform
that gives our farmers and ranchers certainty about the
workers that they'll have. Reform that gives our science and
technology sectors certainty that the young people who come here to earn
their PhDs won't be forced to leave and start new businesses in other
countries. Reform that continues to improve our border
security, and lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation
of immigrants.

Just
six years ago, the unlikely trio of John McCain, Ted Kennedy and
President Bush came together to champion this kind of reform. And
I was proud to join 23 Republicans in voting for it. So there’s no
reason that we can’t come together and get this done.

And
as long as I’m President, I will not give up on this issue, not only
because it’s the right thing to do for our economy -- and CEOs agree
with me -- not
just because it’s the right thing to do for our security, but because
it’s the right thing to do, period. And I believe that, eventually,
enough Republicans in Congress will come around to that view as well.

And
I believe that it’s the right thing to do because I’ve been with groups
of young people who work so hard and speak with so much heart about
what’s best
in America, even though I knew some of them must have lived under the
fear of deportation. I know some have come forward, at great risks to
themselves and their futures, in hopes it would spur the rest of us to
live up to our own most cherished values. And
I’ve seen the stories of Americans in schools and churches and
communities across the country who stood up for them and rallied behind
them, and pushed us to give them a better path and freedom from fear
--because we are a better nation than one that expels
innocent young kids.

And
the answer to your question, sir -- and the next time I’d prefer you
let me finish my statements before you ask that question -- is this is
the right
thing to do for the American people --

Q (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: I didn’t ask for an argument. I’m answering your question.

Q I'd like to --

THE PRESIDENT: It is the right thing to do --

Q (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: -- for the American people. And here’s why --

Q -- unemployment --

THE
PRESIDENT: Here’s the reason: because these young people are going to
make extraordinary contributions, and are already making contributions
to our
society.

I’ve
got a young person who is serving in our military, protecting us and
our freedom. The notion that in some ways we would treat them as
expendable makes
no sense. If there is a young person here who has grown up here and
wants to contribute to this society, wants to maybe start a business
that will create jobs for other folks who are looking for work, that’s
the right thing to do. Giving certainty to our
farmers and our ranchers; making sure that in addition to border
security, we’re creating a comprehensive framework for legal immigration
-- these are all the right things to do.

We
have always drawn strength from being a nation of immigrants, as well
as a nation of laws, and that’s going to continue. And my hope is that
Congress
recognizes that and gets behind this effort.

All right. Thank you very much.

Q What about American workers who are unemployed while you import foreigners?

No, there is nothing wrong with Lou's pitching arm although some wags say he may need corrective surgery on his tongue. The Cincinnati Reds tryout and New York Yankees fan (another reason not to vote for him) has former Evil Empire pitcher Tommy John coming to town to stump for him. The event will be at Genetti's in Wilkes-Barre on Friday, June 22, 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Not to be picky but Wilkes-Barre will no longer be in the 11th Congressional District after the latest gerrymander.

Barletta continues to wage his war on immigrants getting an amendment passed to block the Department of Justice from enforcing the laws on the books. If we don't have immigrants who will play shortstop or kick extra points?

There is a rumor that his challenger Gene Stilp will be bringing in an offspring of Arnold Ziffel of Green Acres fame to campaign for him. Pignelope is handling the details.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Former PA Governor Ed Rendell will be at the Barnes & Noble at the Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre on Friday 7-9PM to sign his book. The name comes from his famous rant about the NFL postponing an Eagles game in 2010 because the weather forecast predicted a blizzard that didn't happen.

HP: "I think it is a joke,"Rendell said, explaining that there was only five inches of snow on the ground when the game would have started. "I was looking forward to this. It would have been a real experience. This is what football is all about. We're becoming a nation of wussies."

I first met the Guv at a campaign event in 2002 at the Riverfront in Plains organized by then Luzerne County Controller Steve Flood. I told him to get past the election stuff and get back on CSN for the Eagles pre and post-game shows like when he was Mayor of Philadelphia that may have helped him win the primary against Bob Casey. He won the general election defeating Atty. General Mike Fisher 53% to 44%. He won reelection in a blowout in 2006 over Steelers great Lynn Swann 60%-40%.

Many people dubbed him Fast Eddie, especially his political opponents. I think that is disrespectful so I prefer Rapid Edward that a commenter on GrassrootsPA that is now The Keystone Report (gotta fix that link) came up with. Thanks Conservative Goddess.

PN: In 2004, Rendell’s car was clocked at traveling more than 100 mph several times
in a four-month period.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Green Party Joins Other Citizen Groups in
Opposing Privatization of Wilkes-Barre’s Parking Resources.

The Luzerne County Green Party is now on record as opposing Mayor Leighton’s
plan to sell city parking resources, and revenues, that are needed to assure
long-term management of the city. “The sale will provide a quick infusion of
cash at first, but that will only assure Mayor Leighton completes his term
without huge tax hikes. However, it leaves the city in a mess, and lacking the
revenue stream city lots and meters provide, forcing even more burden on
Wilkes-Barre property owners and businesses,” explained Dr. Richard Aston, Green
Party Parliamentarian.

The Greens
further cite that destabilizing parking issues, in the hands of a corporate
entity with no obligation to deal with public concerns, will negatively impact
on the delicate, but regenerating downtown business community. “In addition to
our hope for the success of the new, locally owned businesses downtown; one
cannot diminish the obligation the city owes its cornerstone, longtime
businesses. Boscov’s, Marquis Art and Frame, Outlet Army Navy, Bartikowsky’s,
and Circles on the Square are good examples of quality businesses that
persevered during some dark days in Wilkes-Barre. The city must be responsible
to those who have taken great risk and sacrifice in the belief that the city
will once again thrive. There has been much positive in the direction of
business in Wilkes-Barre, but so much more needs to be done,” stated Carl
Romanelli, Party Co-chair.

Along with
support for local business, the Greens want to thank the many civic and
community groups that have already come out against the leasing of city parking
resources. “We have been opposed to the Mayor/JJ parking plan for a while now,
but we have also been encouraged and inspired by the diverse voices in
agreement. Representatives from other third parties, Crime Watch, taxpayers
groups, Downtown Business Association, and Downtown Residents association have
all made articulate cases for the City Council to NOT approve this expensive
scheme. We join them, and demand that Council not ignore the need of
Wilkes-Barre, just to further enrich the already comfortable,” Romanelli
advised. “It’s like Hawkeye all over again.”

The Luzerne
County Green Party has existed since May of 2000, organized around Ralph Nader’s
Green Party candidacy for President of the US, and has met monthly since. All
of its meetings have been in Downtown Wilkes-Barre. The local presidential
caucus (Green Party had a contested primary for president) was scheduled at
Boscov’s Restaurant in the Sophia Room last month. The party emphasized that
the event was held there in order to reinforce the party’s commitment to
supporting local and regional businesses.

The Greens were
successful, in coalition with other groups, in passing the now infamous
Wilkes-Barre Council Districts Charter Amendment. It also was at the forefront
of defending Denise Carey when convicted, ex-judge Michael Conahan attempted to
impose fees on Ms. Carey for attempting to petition to amend the city’s charter;
in the wake of the closing of the Northampton Street firehouse in
2005.

HARRISBURG, June 11 – State Rep. Phyllis Mundy successfully amended
the proposed state budget last week to restore funding for early childhood
education programs and subsidized child care for low-income,
working families.

"Countless studies have proven over and over
again the economic and social benefits of high-quality early childhood care and
education," said Mundy, D-Luzerne. "These programs earn between seven to sixteen
dollars for every dollar invested."

Mundy's amendment restores the Senate’s
proposed cuts to Keystone STARS, an initiative that promotes quality in early
childhood education programs. Keystone STARS provides grant awards to early
learning programs for use in workforce development and retention, learning
materials, and facility safety enhancements.

Mundy said her amendment also maintains the
number of subsidized child care slots at the same level as this fiscal year.
Luzerne County already has a waiting list of 118 for subsidized child care, a
number which would grow under the Senate’s proposed cuts. Mundy said previous
cuts to the program by the Ridge administration had negative
consequences.

"Low-income working mothers had to quit their
jobs and go on welfare because they could not afford child care," she said "Teen
mothers had to drop out of school because they could no longer afford child
care. Low-income parents want to work, but child care can be more than they can
afford."

Mundy’s amendment also
reinstates the TEACH program, which offers scholarships for the continuing
education of teachers who work with young, vulnerable children. The program was
eliminated in last year’s budget.

"Revenue is available for
these programs without raising any taxes, so there’s no excuse to not adequately
fund them," Mundy said. "We have made a lot of progress in these investments
over the past ten years. We can’t afford to backslide now."

Mundy’s amendment passed the House unanimously
on Tuesday, but there is no guarantee it will remain in the final budget bill
negotiated between the Republican House and Senate leaders and the
Governor.

"Given the unanimous vote in support of early
learning programs, I hope this funding is included in the final budget," Mundy
said.

Friday, June 08, 2012

There only has been 11 horses that
have won the Triple Crown and just 21 who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness
but lost in the Belmont Stakes. There were 3 that took the prize in the 1970's,
Secretariat 1973, Seattle Slew 1977 and Affirmed 1978 and before that the last
triple crown winner was Citation in 1948. Many bar patrons in the country will be pulling for I'll Have Another to make history this Saturday. We like the name.

Speaking of bars.

The Saturday OT Committee and Operatic Society will gather to watch the Belmont
Stakes at the usual place this Saturday, 5PM at
Marks Pub 1287 N Washington St, Wilkes-Barre.

This may be the first true OT Committee meeting in a long time as it looks like all the original members will actually be working on Saturday.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

With
depressed monthly job numbers released last week, showing only about 69,000 jobs created in May, many elected
officials have gone on the defensive and expressed concern.I have a
suggestion: pass the bi-partisan Senate transportation bill.

Our nation's unemployment rate currently
lingers above 8 percent. But it's even worse for the construction industry,
with a jobless rate that currently exceeds 14 percent. Passing a bill that
funds infrastructure projects across our Nation will directly employ workers to
build and repair roads, bridges, railways, runways and ports. At the height of
the construction season in America, with communities everywhere in need of
infrastructure improvements, numerous projects large and small are stalled for
lack of funding. All Congress has to do to add nearly 1 million American jobs?
Pass the transportation bill.

At the same time House Republicans are
criticizing a lack of jobs, they are holding the largest job-creating bill
hostage. Republicans in the Senate, the Democrats in the Senate, the President
of the United States, and the House Democrats all support this bipartisan bill.
This is all eerily similar to the irresponsible debt limit debate of last
summer, which resulted in Standard & Poor's credit rating agency downgrading
the long-term credit rating of the United States government for the first time
in its history, from AAA to AA+.

In February, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly
(75 Senators voted yes) passed bi-partisan legislation – "Moving
Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century"(MAP-21) – that calls for $109
billion over two years for the nation's transportation infrastructure needs.
This legislation will continue to support an additional 1.9 million American
jobs, while supporting or creating 73,700 in Pennsylvania. However, the House of
Representatives has failed to pass this immensely important transportation
bill.

As a House-Senate conference committee has
been trying to reach agreement on a bill to take effect after the June 30th
extension ends, the negotiations are getting bogged down unnecessarily. That's
because rather than serving the American people by passing the bi-partisan
Senate bill, Republican House lawmakers want to force controversial
concessions.

At a time when our nation's infrastructure is
literally deteriorating, our economy is sluggishly moving along and Americans
need work, we need leadership. We need a leader who will fight to bring jobs
home, right here, in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

I'm glad that we don't have recall elections in Pennsylvania. We elect our officials for a fixed term and if we don't like what they have been up to we get a chance to vote them out after 4 years. As much as I oppose what Tom Corbett has done in the last 2 years another election is not the way to do it. I'm willing to wait for Joe Sestack or someone else to take him on in 2014.

Local bloggers the Blogfather and RWF are crowing about Scott Walker's win in Wisconsin. The Citizen's United decision opened the spigot for outside and anonymous money that may have swung the election.

CBS:According
to the Center for Public Integrity, candidates and outside groups spent in
excess of $63 million on the recall election - an enormous figure that easily
breaks the previous record of $37.4 million (set in the 2010 gubernatorial
contest) for spending in a Wisconsin election. According
to the New York Times, Walker and his Republican allies spent $45.6 million
on the race as of May 21, while Barrett and his allies have spent $17.9 million.

Mark and Aggie are celebrating a defeat for the unions involved. Maybe the people who ask why do those people have protections and benefits that I don't have should ask why don't I?

Paid sick leave, vacations, and holidays as standard benefits for most
workers

Health Insurance for many workers

Pensions or 401Ks for many workers

Improve workplace safety and reduce on the job fatalities

Pushed for Civil Right Acts and Title VII which outlaws job discrimination
based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin

Occupational Safety and Health Act

Family Medical Leave Act

Push for livable minimum wage

While discussing what role unions
have in America today, lets not forget what benefits most workers in America
have today that's taken for granted. Those of you saying "Thank God it's
Friday!", also remember to thank unions or there's a good chance you'd be
working on Saturday.